What Is WebP? Google's Image Format Explained

You have probably noticed that more and more images on the web end in .webp instead of .jpg or .png. If you have ever tried to save an image from Chrome or downloaded a picture from a website only to find a file that your photo viewer cannot open, you have encountered WebP. WebP is Google's modern image format designed to make the web faster by reducing image file sizes without sacrificing quality. In this guide, we explain what WebP is, why it matters, how it compares to JPEG and PNG, and what to do if you need to convert WebP files to a more compatible format.

What Is WebP?

WebP is an image format developed by Google and first announced in 2010. It supports both lossy compression (like JPEG) and lossless compression (like PNG), as well as animation (like GIF). The key advantage of WebP is that it produces significantly smaller files than older formats — typically 25-35% smaller than JPEG at the same quality level, and 26% smaller than PNG for lossless images.

The format was built on the intra-frame coding of the VP8 video codec, which is why it achieves such efficient compression. In 2018, WebP was updated to use the VP8SX and VP8L algorithms for even better compression. Today, WebP is supported by every major web browser and is used by millions of websites worldwide.

Why Did Google Create WebP?

Google's motivation for creating WebP was straightforward: the web was getting heavier. In 2010, images accounted for roughly 60% of the total bandwidth used to load a typical web page. Google, which makes its money from search and web advertising, has a direct financial incentive to make the web faster — faster pages mean better user engagement, higher ad click-through rates, and lower bandwidth costs for Google's own services like YouTube and Google Images.

By creating a format that could deliver the same visual quality at a fraction of the file size, Google hoped to reduce page load times across the entire web. The company published research showing that a typical news website could reduce its total page weight by 30% or more simply by switching from JPEG and PNG to WebP.

WebP vs. JPEG vs. PNG: Real Numbers

WebP vs. JPEG (Lossy)

At equivalent visual quality, a WebP file is typically 25-35% smaller than a JPEG. For example, a 500 KB JPEG image might weigh only 350 KB as WebP. The difference is most noticeable at lower quality settings — WebP handles compression artifacts better than JPEG, producing less blockiness and fewer color banding issues. At higher quality settings (90%+), the difference narrows, but WebP still comes out ahead.

WebP vs. PNG (Lossless)

PNG is the go-to format for screenshots, logos, and images with text because it offers lossless compression and transparency. WebP also offers lossless compression with transparency (alpha channel), and the files are typically 26% smaller than equivalent PNGs. A 1 MB PNG screenshot might compress to 740 KB as lossless WebP, with no visible difference.

WebP vs. GIF (Animation)

Animated GIFs are notoriously inefficient. A short animated GIF can easily be 5-10 MB. WebP animation offers the same visual result at a fraction of the size — sometimes 90% smaller. A 5 MB GIF might weigh only 500 KB as an animated WebP. This is why services like GIPHY have started serving animated WebP files instead of GIFs.

Who Uses WebP?

WebP adoption has been explosive. As of 2025, WebP is used by virtually every major website and platform:

• Google — Chrome, YouTube, Google Images, Google Photos, and Google Play all use WebP extensively. When you save an image from Google Images, it is often served as WebP unless you explicitly request the original format.
• Facebook and Instagram — Meta uses WebP for profile pictures, feed photos, and ads. If you upload a JPEG to Facebook, it is converted to WebP behind the scenes.
• Netflix — Streaming thumbnails and artwork are served as WebP to reduce bandwidth costs.
• Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce — Product images on these platforms are often converted to WebP automatically.
• Cloudflare and CDN providers — Many content delivery networks automatically convert images to WebP when the browser supports it.

In short, if you browse the web regularly, you see WebP images hundreds of times per day without realizing it.

Why Does Chrome Save Images as WebP?

When you right-click an image in Chrome and select "Save image as," Chrome saves the file in whatever format the server delivered. If the website is serving WebP files (which most modern sites do), Chrome will save a .webp file. This is not Chrome being difficult — it is simply preserving the original file as served. To save a JPEG instead, you can often change the file extension manually (though this does not re-encode the image), or use a browser extension like "Save Image as PNG."

WebP Browser Support in 2025

WebP is supported by every modern browser:

• Google Chrome (since version 23, 2013)
• Mozilla Firefox (since version 65, 2019)
• Apple Safari (since version 14, 2020)
• Microsoft Edge (since version 18, 2018)
• Opera (since version 19, 2014)
• Samsung Internet (since version 4, 2016)

The only significant holdout is Internet Explorer, which never supported WebP. With IE now officially retired by Microsoft, this is no longer a practical concern for most websites. As of 2025, over 97% of web users have a browser that supports WebP.

How to Open WebP Files

Opening WebP files is much easier than it used to be:

• In a web browser — Simply drag the WebP file into Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. All of them display WebP images natively.
• In Photoshop — Adobe added WebP support in Photoshop CC 2018. Earlier versions require the WebP Plugin for Photoshop.
• In Windows Photos — Windows 10 and 11 can open WebP files after installing the free "WebP Image Extensions" from the Microsoft Store.
• In macOS Preview — macOS Ventura and later open WebP files natively in Preview. Earlier versions may need a third-party viewer or conversion.
• In free viewers — IrfanView, XnView, and GIMP (with plugin) all support WebP.

Should You Convert Your Website Images to WebP?

If you run a website, converting images to WebP is one of the easiest performance improvements you can make. Here is what you gain:

• Faster page load times (Google Core Web Vitals metric)
• Lower bandwidth costs (especially important for high-traffic sites)
• Better user experience on mobile devices with slow connections
• Potential SEO benefit (Google uses page speed as a ranking factor)

The standard practice is to serve WebP to browsers that support it (detected via the Accept header) and fall back to JPEG or PNG for the small percentage of browsers that do not. Many CMS platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and Squarespace handle this automatically.

How to Convert WebP to PNG or JPG

If you need to use a WebP image in software that does not support it — such as Microsoft Word, an email client, or a legacy editing program — conversion is simple. Use our free WebP to PNG converter to get a standard PNG file, or our PNG to JPG converter if you need a JPEG. Both tools run entirely in your browser, so your files are never uploaded to any server.

Convert WebP Images Free

Need to convert a WebP file right now? Use our free WebP to PNG converter. It works instantly in your browser — no sign-ups, no uploads, no software to install.